Ossi di Morti

Made with sugar, wheat flour,
almonds and egg whites, Ossi di
Morti get their name—literally
“bones of the dead”—from their
almost skeletal appearance and
brittleness. Traditionally, Ossi di
Morti were baked in Italy on
November 2nd in celebration of
All Soul’s Day, when it is
customary to visit the cemetery
where family members are buried
and light a candle in their honor.

One dozen Ossi di Morti for $4

If you travel throughout Italy during this time of year, you’ll find that
the recipe for these cookies, also called Ossa dei Morti, varies slightly.
You’ll also see that the cookies are sometimes fava bean-shaped,
alluding to their origins during Greek and Roman times when fava
beans were offered to the dead.

As far as flavor goes, in Bologna, the cookies have more of an almond-
meringue taste while in Tuscany bakers add a hint of orange to the mix.
In Verona, they use polenta and in Lombardy, they prefer cinnamon
and lemon.

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